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Running your Audiobookshelf server

Setting up Audiobookshelf on Docker, Linux or a NAS, putting it behind a reverse proxy, and fixing the problems people run into most. Troubleshooting guides are listed newest first.

Setup

6 guides

  1. Audiobookshelf Docker quickstart: setup and first login

    Start Audiobookshelf with Docker, create your admin account, add a book library and find the server URL to use on your iPhone.

  2. Set Up Audiobookshelf with Docker

    Install and run your own Audiobookshelf server using Docker or Docker Compose, the most common and recommended method

  3. Audiobookshelf on Linux (Without Docker)

    Install Audiobookshelf directly on Ubuntu, Debian, RHEL, CentOS, or NixOS without Docker

  4. Audiobookshelf on Synology, Unraid & TrueNAS

    Install Audiobookshelf on popular NAS platforms: Synology DSM, Unraid, and TrueNAS

  5. Audiobookshelf reverse proxy: Nginx, Caddy and HTTPS setup

    Expose your Audiobookshelf server to the internet with Nginx, Caddy, or other reverse proxies

  6. How to secure your Audiobookshelf server

    A practical guide to securing a self-hosted Audiobookshelf server: HTTPS, rate limiting, Cloudflare Access or Tailscale, Docker permissions, API keys, and backups.

Troubleshooting

15 guides

  1. Why Audiobookshelf keeps logging you out

    Check the Audiobookshelf fixes shipped in v2.35.0 and v2.35.1, then distinguish expired sessions, storage problems and proxy failures when logins still fail.

  2. Audiobookshelf won't recognize xHE-AAC audiobooks from Libation

    Why Audiobookshelf skips xHE-AAC (USAC) m4b files from Libation, and how to fix it with a Docker update or your own ffmpeg binaries.

  3. Audiobookshelf won't add new books to your library

    A library scan that quietly adds nothing is usually one book with a duplicate author tripping a database constraint. Here's how to find and fix it.

  4. Audiobookshelf crashes with JavaScript heap out of memory

    Why adding a podcast episode to an Audiobookshelf playlist crashes the server with a JavaScript heap out of memory error, and how to work around it.

  5. Audiobookshelf won't import books from LibbyRip

    Why Audiobookshelf scans fail or skip LibbyRip-ripped audiobooks, and how to fix the metadata.json so the books show up.

  6. Why seeking in Audiobookshelf jumps back to the start

    Seeking a podcast or large single-file audiobook resets playback to the start in mobile Audiobookshelf apps. Why it happens and how to fix the file.

  7. Audiobookshelf audio goes silent after the first chapter

    Fix M4B audiobooks that play Chapter 1 fine then go silent when the channel count or sample rate changes between chapters

  8. Audiobookshelf still shows books after I deleted them from disk

    Why Audiobookshelf keeps removed files as 'missing' items and how to clear them using the Issues filter in the web client

  9. Audiobookshelf crashes after a quick match and won't stay up

    Fix the SequelizeUniqueConstraintError on bookSeries that crashes Audiobookshelf into a Docker restart loop after a quick match

  10. Running Audiobookshelf as a non-root user in Docker

    Fix EACCES permission denied errors when running Audiobookshelf Docker with user: 1000:1000 by pre-creating config and metadata directories

  11. Why Audiobookshelf library scans take hours on network storage

    Fix slow Audiobookshelf scans on CIFS, SMB, NFS, and NAS setups caused by transient inode values triggering unnecessary ffprobe re-scans

  12. Audiobookshelf stops working after a reboot

    Fix Audiobookshelf failing to load or stream books after rebooting a Docker host by making Docker wait for your external drive or NAS mount.

  13. Audiobookshelf won't start after a Docker upgrade

    Fix the Cannot find module /index.js crash after upgrading Audiobookshelf Docker to v2.22.0+ by removing working_dir and recreating the container

  14. New audiobooks getting the wrong metadata in Audiobookshelf

    Fix the bug where newly added audiobooks steal metadata from existing books due to inode collisions on NAS and network shares

  15. Audiobookshelf stops playing between chapters on iOS

    Why audiobook playback stops at the end of each track on iOS Safari and how to fix it with single-file M4B books or a native app